


Day Three: Nightmare

by Authoranna



Series: Comfortember 2020 [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Comfortember 2020, F/M, mentions of aquaphobia, nightmare pertaining to aquaphobia, platonic tent sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authoranna/pseuds/Authoranna
Summary: Malcolm Reed, Charlotte Watson, and two exobiologists are on an away team on another Minshara-class planet with a beautiful lake. Reed has a fear of drowning, and he has a nightmare. Dutiful girlfriend Charlotte comforts him.
Relationships: Malcolm Reed/OFC
Series: Comfortember 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999417
Kudos: 1
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	Day Three: Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's currently Day Seven and I'm only posting Day Three but I don't have much time to write and when I do have time I get writer's block in the form of my cats tormenting me for attention. I'll get these all done, even if it goes into December

Charlotte Watson sat on one of the logs around the fire, the firelight dancing across her face as she stared at the flames. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, arms crossed to keep it close to her as Crewman Cutler finished telling another ghost story. 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the stars being different,” Charlotte said after a moment. “We have our stories about the constellations; I wonder if we’ll ever learn other people’s myths about them.” 

“You’d be the first one of us to find out, Lieutenant,” Malcolm Reed replied, sending a smirk. “I think you would’ve made a better historian than an engineer, but Star Fleet doesn’t have postings for historians quite yet.”

She rolled her eyes at him, biting her lip to hide a smile. That was Malcolm’s favorite jab, but she knew full well he thought her engineering skills were top notch regardless of her penchant for stories and history.

“I’d love to get a boat on that lake over there,” Crewman Smith said. She was the other exobiologist on the away team besides Crewman Cutler, as well as an avid boating fan back home in Minnesota. 

“I think it’s a little cold for that right now,” Charlotte replied. “I wonder when this planet’s summer is, if this isn’t it. Maybe we can come back here for shore leave some time, do some more camping just for fun. We’d have to put some kayaks in the storage hold, though; think Captain Archer would allow it?”

“About as much as Commander Tucker lets me store munitions in jeffrey tubes,” Reed muttered back. His comment was drowned out by the rest of the away team laughing, however.

“Hopefully this camping trip turns out better than the last one I was on,” Cutler said. “That was a trip I don’t want to repeat. Everyone took their allergy shots this morning, right?” She joked, referring to the rather chaotic exploration of another Minshara-class planet a few months before that featured deadly hallucinogenic pollen.

A few minutes later was lights out by mutual agreement, the effects of the research trip earlier in the day catching up to the four crew members. The two exobiologists were sharing one tent, leaving Watson and Reed the other tent. 

“You stay in your own sleeping bag, sir,” Charlotte said over her shoulder as she zipped the tent flap closed. “I do not want to wake up to your sneezing on me from all this grass.”

Malcolm didn’t say anything to that, rolling his eyes as he pulled his boots off. He knew she’d roll closer in her sleep. He was grateful for the opportunity to share a tent with his girlfriend, even though nothing sexual would occur due to them still being on duty and not having any privacy regardless.

“Night, Malcolm,” Charlotte whispered once they were settled into their respective sleeping bags. 

“Sweet dreams, Charlie.”

Charlotte was awoken a few hours later by a flailing arm hitting her. She let out a small grunt as she was once again hit, reaching for the lantern on the crate between the two sleeping bags. 

Malcolm was thrashing in his sleep, caught in the throes of a nightmare. He was being quiet save for an occasional grunt, his arms and legs all kicking out. 

The engineer put a hand on his shoulder, trying to rouse him to no avail. After a few moments he came to wakefulness on his own, gasping for breath as he did. He darted his eyes over to his companion, who wore a look of concern upon her face. 

She reached over then, grabbing his hand. “It’s okay, Malcolm, it was just a dream,” she whispered. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I was drowning. We were back on Earth, and I uh, I don’t know why but I took you boating along the cliffs I grew up on and I fell in the water.” He put an arm over his eyes then, letting out a sigh before continuing, “and even though I should have been right at the surface I was so deep down all of a sudden. I was trying to swim up but I couldn’t.” 

Charlotte grabbed the hand that wasn’t covering his eyes, stroking her thumb along the back of his hand slowly. She sat there in silence for a few moments, Malcolm’s breathing evening out. Finally, she reached up to turn the lantern off.

“Unzip your bag,” she said as she did the same to her bag. Once Malcolm had done as she said, she pulled the top part over and laid on it before pulling her bag over them both as a blanket. “Come here,” she whispered, already pulling him towards her. He settled with his head on her chest over her heart, one arm over her waist. 

“You’re okay, babe. You’re safe. You’re here with me, on dry land, light years from Earth. You’re not allowed to take me out on a boat, hmm?” She tousled his hair then. “I’m perfectly fine taking a little one person boat out by myself and letting you watch from shore and fiddle with a new phase pistol while I get a sunburn.”

“I could hardly get started on a phase pistol before you got a sunburn; you’re paler than me,” the Brit replied, stifling a yawn. He laughed when she tugged on his ear in response.

“Just go to sleep, dummy.” She let out a sigh, settling down. “You’re safe, babe, you’re safe.” She started playing with his hair then, humming something as he drifted closer to sleep. “You’re not allowed to get hurt, Malcolm. Not on my watch. I’ll keep you safe if ever we go near water; let me protect you sometimes,” she murmured. 

He nodded, fingers flexing against her hip. “I don’t need protecting,” he mumbled. 

“Yes yes, you’re a big boy with big toys. Doesn’t mean I can’t protect you, love. Go to sleep.”

Malcolm grunted once, then started snoring. Charlotte drifted off a few minutes later, hand still in Malcolm’s hair.


End file.
